Eastern PROMISES

FABIOMASSIMO DISCOLI, SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR OF FERRETTI GROUP ASIA-PACIFIC, POINTS OUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ASIAN AND WESTERN BOATING MARKETS

HAS THE SHIG‑WEICHAI GROUP’S ACQUISITION OF A STAKE IN THE FERRETTI GROUP CHANGED THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE YACHTS FROM YOUR BRANDS?

Not at all. Our yachts are still fundamentally Italian, from their design and engineering to where they are built. Everything continues to be done according to our usual standards. Nevertheless, being a key player in the Asian market, we understand that the demands of our clients are starkly different from those of our Western customers. There are cultural, climatic and geographical differences.

WHAT IS ONE OBVIOUS DIFFERENCE?

Asian clients generally use their yachts for entertaining or to hold meetings with family, friends and business partners during the day. They seldom use them to travel long distances, which is what our Western clients do. So one thing we’ve done is to give our Asian clients the option of customising a boat’s interiors to feature more entertainment or social areas that suit their preferences. This has contributed largely to the growing demand for our products in Asia, as we’re the first Italian shipyard to provide such a concept. Having said that, we’re also seeing a sort of mutation of customer profile happening in Asia, with a new, more well-travelled generation of clients entering the market. As a result, we now have some clients who want different kinds of boats for discovering destinations.

WHAT IS THE GROUP DOING TO ELEVATE ITS POSITION IN ASIA?

Our strategy is to continue finding reliable distributors with a clear understanding of our values and vision, and who can promote our products effectively to buyers and prospects. We are looking to advance further into countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar—both of which have so much potential for us to grow—as well as South Korea.